Will Stitt play? Will he sit? Does it matter?

Reports out of Clemson are saying Clemson junior point guard Demontez Stitt (6-foot-2, 175 lbs.) will be ready to play Sunday against Maryland. Stitt sat out Clemson's loss Tuesday at Boston College and had been limited in the Tigers' two previous games with a sprained left foot.

But does it matter whether Stitt plays against the Terrapins? Senior guard Greivis Vasquez was asked today how different Clemson operated with Stitt in the lineup, as opposed to when he is out, and Vasquez didn't sound all that impressed.

"I mean, I don't understand why people making such a big deal whether he's in the lineup or not," Vasquez said. "I thought he wasn't a big difference last year. I thought they got K.C. Rivers, which was a way better ball-handler than him. I think the guy (Stitt) is good, give him credit, but, I mean, I don't think it's any difference, you know what I'm saying? We're ready to play Clemson, and if we talk about difference, maybe if (Clemson forward Trevor) Booker is out, that's a big difference. I mean, Stitt is a good player, you've got to give him credit, but I mean, we're not intimidated of him being out of or in the lineup. I mean, who is he in terms of the best players in the ACC? We're just trying to play a good game and just win this game."

Maryland Coach Gary Williams was slightly more generous in his assessment of Stitt, who is averaging 11.2 points and 2.7 rebounds per game for the Tigers. Stitt, Williams said, plays a significant role in facilitating Clemson's offense and orchestrating the Tigers' press defense.

"He's a great player," Williams said. "He's 35 minutes. That's the first thing, it just ruins your rotation. Like not having Dino Gregory, you know, it ruins your rotation. And that happens to you and there's not much you can do about it. You just go play, but especially when you're a pressing team, you take a guard out that's maybe their best presser, and you still try to play the same way, but you can't. So we expect him to be full strength. I guess he's had a week off with the ankle since he didn't play at B.C., so he should be ready to go."

Stitt might not be an all-ACC caliber player, but he does factor significantly into how efficiently Clemson is able to operate on both ends of the floor. That said, it would seem to matter whether or not Stitt can go on Sunday.

If the Tigers cannot press with their typical intensity, and if Maryland's press is able to badger Clemson into abundant miscues, that would seem to bode well for the Terrapins chances for victory. Maybe a more pertinent question: Assuming Stitt does play, how close to 100 percent will he be?